Toronto-based The Licensing Shop has been named as the new licensing representative in Canada for Sesame Workshop beginning January 2008. Flagship show SESAME STREET reaches over 70% of Canadian households via PBS and other Workshop shows are available on Treehouse TV. Sesame Workshop will invest the proceeds it receives from the sale of Sesame products back into its educational projects for children around the globe.
Granada Ventures today announced a restructuring of their licensing group designed to maximize sales potential from the brand portfolio.
Classic Media, an Entertainment Rights group company, today announced the appointment of Karyn Schneider to the position of VP, Licensing for its operations in North America, effective immediately. Based at the company's headquarters in New York, the position reports to Nicole Blake, SVP, Marketing.
Chapman Ent.'s FIFI AND THE FLOWERTOTS is branching out from its U.K. roots and moving into Eastern Europe, reports KIDSCREEN. The move is facilitated by merchandising deals inked by U.K. licensing agent/distributor Target Ent.
Additionally, licensing agency One2Play is combing the former Yugoslavian territories for Fifi licensees; distribution outfits Modell and Hobby have signed with French toy company Jemini and Corgi to get Fifi into Hungary and Romania; and Target has made an exclusive toy distribution deal with Edutoys in Latvia and Estonia.
Breakthrough Animation and 2-D Lab's children's animated series MY BIG BIG FRIEND (52x11) has won The Licensing Challenge, sponsored by License Global! at this year's MIPCOM Jr.
The Licensing Challenge is a pitching session that showcases the TV property with the highest licensing potential. The international jury included Leigh Anne Brodsky (Nickelodeon), Stan Clutton (Fisher Price), Anna Hewitt (BBC), Andrew Lane (Hasbro), John Lee (World World), and Richard Woolf (Jetix). The panelist of judges selected MY BIG BIG FRIEND from a short list of five entrants based on:
Decode Ent. has inked a number of new licensing deals for its hit preschool property FRANNY'S FEET, including a deal with Allumination Filmworks for U.S. home entertainment and a further home entertainment agreement with Mediaway in Poland. Decode has also signed up a number of international licensing sub-agents through its representative, The Sharpe Company, including CPLG (Copyright Promotions) in France and Italy, Scandinavia's Alicom Licensing, IMC (International Merchandising Consultants) in Argentina and Korea's Asiana Licensing.
Brand Licensing - Europe's event for licensing and brand extension - has rebranded as Brand Licensing Europe.
The increased interest from European attendees in 2003 and 2004 convinced organizers Advanstar to launch the Hosted European Retailer Programme in 2005 and, over the last two years, the program has fully hosted 22 key European retail buyers from, for example, Carrefour, Auchan, Toys R Us Netherlands and Eroski.
Brand Licensing Europe takes place at the Grand Hall, Olympia. For more information, please visit www.brandlicensingexpo.com.
DIC Ent.'s longtime president of worldwide consumer products Nancy Fowler has departed the L.A.-based company to work full-time with The Licensing Shop, reports KIDSCREEN. She'll join founder (and husband) Steve Fowler at the startup brand management outfit, where she'll help to build the client base and increase the company's presence in the Canadian licensing industry. The firm is also looking for employees to fill creative and administrative roles.
French broadcaster Canal+ has acquired all broadcast rights -- including pay TV, cable TV, Internet and mobile -- to distributor BRB Internacional's devilish animation series THE IMP. Canal+ will also act as the licensing agent in France.
Produced by Red Kite, Screen 21, and TVC, THE IMP (65x90) is a comedy produced in black-and-white HD3D targeted at young adults. Winner of the MIPCOM Jr. Licensing Challenge, THE IMP has been specifically designed to easily adapt to new multimedia formats, as well as to more traditional products such as toys, textile, stationery, etc.
Expo Licensing Latinoamarica 2007 features top level executives with decision power from Mexico and all over Latin America, the Caribbean and other Spanish speaking countries. This first international licensing event in Latin America is expected to gather participation of more than 6,000 Mexican and international attendees. Expo Licensing Latinoamarica 2007 will be your platform where attendees will sign exclusive deals, strategize with retailers, solidify promotional partnerships and much more.
Cartoon Network Enterprises has enlisted Canadian agent Segal Licensing to beef up its BEN 10 marketing activities in Canada, reports KIDSCREEN. Segal will pursue licensing and promotional partnerships in a variety of categories to increase the brand's visibility and availability in the region.
BEN 10 products have been available in Canada since the spring, when Bandai America launched its line. Over the spring and summer, the initial offerings were augmented by D3 Publishers of America (interactive), SG Footwear, Pressman (games and puzzles) and Bell Sports.
Universal Pictures International Ent., the international home entertainment division of NBC Universal, today announced key new appointments in its London-based management team.
Leading kids and family entertainment specialist DECODE Ent. has signed up Rocket Licensing as the U.K. licensing agent for its hit preschool property FRANNY'S FEET, the adventures of a little girl with magical shoes. The company has already completed a deal for costume characters with Rainbow Prods. for Europe.
A raft of animated films, television series and interactive properties, from major studios and independent animators alike, were on display at Licensing International this year.
The BBC's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, is heading for New York's Licensing International on the back of a storming year for its licensing division. With sales up by 64% in 2006, the company is now on the lookout for top class partners who can break its hit properties into the U.S. market. BBC Worldwide can be found at the event at booth #3441.
L!censing International is the premier annual trade event and conference where owners and agents of intellectual properties showcase their concepts to develop new and unique consumer products, solidify promotional partnerships, sign exclusives with retailers and network. The event sees 500 exhibitors, 5,500 properties and brands available for licensing and 20,000+ high-profile manufacturers, retailers and marketers.
AnimatedWorks Prods. Inc. is exhibiting at this year's Licensing International Expo, held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City, New York. It will be located in booth #3580 from June 19-21, 2007.
AnimatedWorks Prods. Inc. uses animation to create appealing imagery for product promotion and brand management. AnimatedWorks collaborates with its clients to develop characters, stories and formats for entertaining and compelling animation. From concept design to delivery, AnimatedWorks provides visibility and integrated branding through animation.
Lisa Streff to vp of domestic licensing in DICâs consumer products division, to oversee the development and implementation of domestic licensing and merchandising programs for the company's slate of entertainment and lifestyle brands, including MOMMY & ME, HORSELAND, MCDONALDS, STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE, CAKE, MADELINE SLUMBER PARTY GIRLS and DICâs all new boy-driven property, DINO SQUAD. She will oversee the efforts of sales, retail and product development.
TV France International has opened an umbrella stand at the Licensing Show for its fourth consecutive year, featuring 14 companies. The event draws some 20,000 participants in New York city, including acquisition execs, publishers (paper and digital), players in mobile telephony, advertising agencies, licensing agents, manufactures of just about everything (toys, games, clothing, jewelry, food, etc.) and retailers, as well as mass retailers from North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe.
WOW! WOW! WUBBZY! arrives at the Licensing Expo with a second season renewal on Nick Jr. and Noggin, new international deals in Latin America, India, Indonesia and more, and a whole Wuzzleburg's worth of new licensees.
Nickelodeon has ordered 26 more episodes of WOW! WOW! WUBBZY!. The series, which is produced by Bolder Media, in association with Starz Media, is currently in its first season on Nick Jr. and sister network Noggin.
It's been under a year since 20th Century Fox and Universal's film adaptation of Microsoft's mega-franchise HALO fell about and now Fox has inked an agreement as the primary licensor for the gaming franchise, reports VARIETY. Previously, Fox's licensing unit handled licensing for Microsoft's Xbox 360 titles, PERFECT DARK ZERO AND KAMEO: ELEMENTS OF POWER.
Toei Animation Inc. has established an in-house consumer products licensing division under the supervision of Coy Edmunds, the unit's newly appointed director of business development and licensing. Headquartered in Toei's Los Angeles offices, the licensing operation will focus on the U.S. market and launch with the licensing representation of the company's popular Digimon brand.
Toei's new licensing operation will make its official debut at the New York International Licensing Show to be held to be held June 19-21, 2007, at the Javitz Convention Center.
New York-based Big Tent Ent. has signed on as the exclusive U.S. licensing agency of record for Discovery Kids. Under the long-term agreement, Big Tent will represent some of Discovery Kids most popular animated properties, including GROWING UP CREEPIE, KENNY THE SHARK and TUTENSTEIN, as well as their hit live-action series, ENDURANCE, FLIGHT 29 DOWN and TRADING SPACES: BOYS VS. GIRLS, among others.
Bernd Conrad joins TV-Loonland as its new licensing and merchandising head to help expand the company's L&M business. He will be operating from the Munich office.
Reporting to TV-Loonland coo Olivier Dumont, Conrad will devise and implement the company's strategy on marketing and L&M opportunities, as well as be responsible for the selection and management of licensing agents internationally. Furthermore, he will directly handle L&M in German-speaking Europe and pan-international deals.
TV-Loonland has appointed Kirsty Guthrie UK sales & licensing consultant for its new pre-school brand LITTLE PRINCESS (produced by The Illuminated Film Co).
After working in the licensing industry some 11 years, Guthrie left her position at Universal Studios to set up independently as KJG Ltd. just over a year ago.
